The Purpose of the Law

The law that God gave to the Israelites was “good.” However, the benefit of the law is contingent on its proper application. There were teachers in Ephesus who were not applying the law properly. In the same way, we can try so hard to not be legalistic or dogmatic or narrow-minded that we become lax in our theology and lean toward an “anything goes” theology. Neither extreme is good. The purpose of the law is to help guide us and guard us as we grow.  The law does not propel us, like the wind propels a sailboat. The law does not steer us, like teaching turns the rudder. The law acts as a compass that guides us in the right direction.